This blog is an exploration of principled problem solving which is an initiative at Guilford College encouraging a focus of people's abilities and experiences toward solving real-world problems under the guidance of the college’s core values of community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice and stewardship.

October 2011

10/07/2011

On Monday September 26, 2011 Hispanos Unidos de Guilford (HUG) organized for speaker Macrina Cárdenas Alarcón to discuss the femicide occurring in Mexico, focusing on Ciudad Jurárez, Chihuahua and Tijuana. Macrina Cárdenas Alarcón is the former legislative director in DC for the Mexico Solidarity Network and has worked for over ten years organizing to end femicide.

In 1993 it became apparent that numerous women had been abruptly disappearing from their communities across Mexico. As a result a group called the Civil Rights of Women, made up of mostly mothers of the victims, mobilized. By 1995, the bodies of three of the abducted females were found in one place, even though the individuals had disappeared at different times and from places. This led the Civil Rights of Women group to believe that these crimes were committed by the same perpetrators. Despite these disappearances, the government of Mexico has only hindered these women’s fight for justice. While authorities arrested several people who aligned with their theories surrounding the crimes; these individuals were essentially used as scapegoats. The mothers of the victims met with the families of the arrested to work together to get them out of jail. Also, media networks heavily influenced by the government have perpetuated the victimization of the individuals that disappeared.

The Civil Rights of Women group has organized together to fight against the femicide occurring intheir communities. This way of working in community groups parallels the college’s core values of community, integrity, and justice. For more information on the Mexico Solidarity Network visit: http://www.mexicosolidarity.org